'True potential': Consultants visit to weigh future of Portage County Regional Airport
The consultants hired to assess the Portage County Regional Airport are in the community, touring the Shalersville facility and helping determine the next steps in a potential county takeover of the site.
More:Portage airport board makes case for county takeover of Shalersville facility
David Benner and Scotty Malta of Aviation Management Consulting Group of Colorado met in person with commissioners Tuesday.
The consultants are meeting this week with airport officials, including Board President Homer Lucas, and touring the airport facility. They also are talking to community representatives about their views of the airport and how they see it fitting into the county's long-term vision.
The consultants will take their findings and put them into an assessment and analysis for the commissioners. Benner previously said the firm estimated the plan would be done within 16 weeks of the site visit, meaning the report should be done by spring.
"I'm hoping to go quicker than that," he said.
Commissioner Tony Badalamenti pointed out that Geis Companies is constructing a 1 million-square-foot industrial building just north of the Ohio Turnpike, a few miles from the airport. The industrial park will eventually have 7 million square feet of industry, he said.
"I look at this and I think there's a tremendous amount of potential," he said. "I think Portage County is in a growth cycle that is just awesome."
He said many have said a larger runway or additional hangars would allow larger aircraft to do business at the airport.
"The more that people see that county commissioners are interested in making this a viable airport, the more people are going to say, 'Hey, we'd like to have our airplane there,' " he said. "I think we have the bones of a good product sitting out there."
Commissioner Sabrina Christian-Bennett said the volunteer board that runs the airport has a hard time generating income.
The board serves as "custodial manager" of the $25 million airport.
"They do the best they can, but it's not enough," she said.
The Federal Aviation Administration has pushed for a county takeover because the county is in a better position to match grants, she said.
In addition to "huge economic development just down the road," she said Portage County is the world headquarters for firms such as Davey Tree and home to three universities.
"A lot of them are flying people in and out," she said. "They're going to Akron-Canton, they're going to Youngstown, they're going all around us and coming in ... We do really see the true potential the airport has."
Commissioner Vicki Kline said the commissioners support the airport.
"I really think it's a good time to act," she said. "The time to act is now. We have to do something."
Christian-Bennett said the county has long owned land for an expansion of the runway, something neighbors have opposed. University Hospitals also has moved its helicopter hub for its hospitals from Geauga County to Portage. Metro Life Flight has long been a fuel customer of the airport.
Benner said the group wants to identify opportunities that will move the airport forward.
"There's lots of things that can be done, but what's going to make impact the fastest?" he asked.
Christian-Bennett said there is "desperate need" for additional hangar space at the airport, and some small airports have closed down.
"It seems like you have an airport that is ready to transition into a much more prominent piece within the county," Benner said. "And you have the property available too ... there's a lot of good pieces, and it's all in how to maximize that."
Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Consultants visit to weigh the future of Portage County's airport
